Tresors: Singapore

Singapore is one of the "tiger" states. Its tremendous economic growth has impressed the business world, while its merciless attitude against drug dealers has polarized Western politicians and the media. Death sentences for those in possession of more than 20 grams of heroine are extreme by Western standards, but not all people in this former British colony find the stern regime of law and order awful. Taxi drivers, often considered as vox populi, told us of their full support of the goverment's endeavors to keep the city clean and free of drug problems. On the brighter side of its culture, Singapore strives to become the center of South East Asian art, competing successfully with the international art fair industry.

Singapore President ong Teng Cheong, Mrs. Ong, and Tommy Koh chat with the author, Herbert Exner, at the Pietsch & Co. Stand

TRESORS 1993 was the first international fine art and antiques fair in Singapore and it tested whether Western art could sell in an Asian environment; whether Oriental collectors would buy from Western dealers, and how many would come to such an event. The fair was organized by William R. Burris, managing director of Bradbury (Int'l) Services, plc, London in a space of 2,700 square meters at the World Trade Center at the piers of Singapore's bustling harbor. Scheduled at the end of September, the 1993 fair drew more than 23,000 visitors.

The date of TRESORS 1994 was pushed back a month, and it was held between October 28 and November 2 in the same halls. This was not the best choice as it coincided with the annual motor show held in the adjacent halls, which attracted huge crowds of auto freaks frenzied to gaze upon the new Porsches, Mercedes, and BMWs. There were even more events on that date, none of which enhanced attendance at the art show. The Singapore Derby and the Singapore Open Golf Championship provided greater entertainment to the high society.

In the late summer and early fall of 1994, it was impossible to find a week without an important exhibition or fair. New York played host to a major antique fair and there was the FIAC in Paris for contemporary art, the Biennale Internationale des Antiquaires in Paris, the biggest antique fair in the world, and Art Cologne, another contemporary art fair.

Despite the competition, 75 percent of the previous year's art dealer exhibitors returned to TRESORS. High admission fees and free tickets sent by exhibitors to their customers and business friends in the area helped to filter the potential buyers from only curious viewers. Several new additions were made by the organizer to reinforce TRESORS as the largest event in Asia. They included a series of lectures, sponsored by Credit Swiss on aspects of art and collecting, for instance "How to Collect Oriental Carpets" by S. Sameyeh and "The Role of Persia and the Islamic World in Far Eastern Trade with Europe" by William Robinson of Christie's London. The organizers also launched a magazine for prospective collectors called "Tresors -- The Art of Collecting," edited by G. Barker, arts columnist for London's Daily Telegraph. Amexco organized a guided tour of the exhibition for 600 students and lecturers from local academies. A preview exhibition had been staged at Jakarta, Indonesia; the works on display were worth a total of about U.S. $500 million.

The fair organizers perceived that there is a critical mass of 1.5 billion people living within five hours flight-time to Singapore, and scheduled the fair not because of an existing market of collectors, but because of its potential as a larger market. Total sales of all items were U.S. $25 million, lower than the previous year which brought in U.S. $40 million. When the last day was over, only a little more than 18,000 visitors had come to TRESORS '94, 12 percent of them from Europe and seven percent from the United States.

One half of the total space of 3,600 square meters was occupied by galleries for paintings, mostly for the local taste and with no exorbitant price tags. There was Pace Wildenstein, New York with a cast epoxy with polyurethane "Fauteuil au deliberant I" by Jean Dubuffet, and Wetterling Teo Gallery, Hong Kong/Stockholm with paintings by Rauschenberg, Rosenquist and Roy Lichtenstein.

Like the spider in its web, the international jewelers held the center of both halls near the entrance. Their accumulation did not necessarily mean sales on the spot, but their presence may have encouraged the enormously wealthy entrepreneurs in this area to acquire precious stones instead of boring gold ingots. Among the long list of jewelers we mention (in alphabetic order) Ares Rare Jewelery, New York; Alian Castiglione, Paris; Bey Ars, Austria; Circa, New York; Garrard -- The Crown Jewellers, London; Fulvio Maria Scania, Milan; and of course the greatest one, Harry Winston, Geneva - New York - Paris - Tokyo. Harry Winston held a "kibitka" in Expo Hall 6, displaying glittering rings, necklaces, and pieces suitable for wherever a lady can decorate her body. There was one Star Kazak after another, so to speak. Opposite the high-end dealers were small booths for publications and books, predominantly Oriental art magazines. Our friends from Hali were selling subscriptions and back issues, while publisher Sebastian Ghandchi roamed the aisles with his camera whenever there was a quiet period.

Eye-catching in Expo Hall 6 were a huge, inappropriate, new Nain carpet and two clumsy, monumental sculptures. "Flight of Fancy #1" was created by Fernando Botero of Didier Imbert Fine Art, Paris. Much more glamourous was Nikki De St. Phalle's 2.3 meter tall crossbreeding of a chair and an eagle. The sculpture bore a price tag declaring U.S. $330,000.

Now we come to the more earthbound exhibitors. When the top European antique dealers from last year's fair refrained from returning, local rug dealers and three European ones stepped in. Hassan's Carpets, Pardisan Carpets, Pazyryk Carpets, and S. Sameyeh, all from Singapore, displayed mint (German) condition Persian city rugs according to the local conviction that every knot has to be right in its place. The European exhibitors had a mixed offering with regard to countries of origin, function, and age. Anglo Persian Carpet Company, represented by Mr. Dan and Mr. Wenek, had good 19th century pieces; while Meyer-Müller of Zürich had a large, eye-catching, silvery, shining, silk saph. Pietsch & Co. from Wels, Austria, represented by owners Heinz and Traute Reichel, offered selected nomadic pieces, many Caucasian rugs from the turn of the century. They enjoyed the best sales, partly the result of their relationship to the local rug society. Textiles were presented by several antique dealers like Mala Raja Bamford, London, who had Chinese and Indian weavings. Theresa Coleman Fine Arts, Hong Kong, displayed Tibetan Khaden, piled chair covers, and Chinese brocades from the Ming Dynasty. Plum Blossoms of Hong Kong, usually strong in Far Eastern textiles, focused on contemporary paintings and sculptures.

When Singapore's President, Ong Teng Cheong, Mrs. Ong, the National Arts Council chairman Tommy Koh, and their staffs toured the exhibition in order to draw the city's leading business people to the fair, I had the opportunity to show nomadic weavings to the dignitaries. President Ong, an architect by profession, is promoting Singapore as a meeting point for conventions and exhibitions.

Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Center, the largest billion dollar facility in South East Asia, conveniently located in the heart of Singapore near the famous Raffles hotel, has been designated the host of TRESORS '95. This year's fair will take place September 15-20, thus avoiding collisions with other antique fairs. The motto, "Orientalism - 3000 years of Art and Influence from Asia," reflects the fair's goal of attracting a still larger segment of Asian art and art collectors. Of particular importance and necessity will be the establishment of formal vetting committees for all exhibits in Oriental works, works on paper, and silver. Only pre-1900 carpets and textile arts will be admitted. Collectors in the Far East, generally prone to works in perfect condition, might face difficulties finding flawless condition in 19th century and earlier antique rugs. Nevertheless this area can be a open field for rug missionaries. It is to be hoped that the outspoken intentions of the organizers that "TRESORS will be open only to leading dealers" will be realized.

Christie's also had a booth at TRESORS, offering piles of back issues where curious Chinese visitors could rummage through inexpensive catalogues. At the same time, Islamic department director William Robinson was touring South East Asia and stopped to cast a glance at the fair. In a quiet moment we took the opportunity to talk to him.

ORR: Please give us a little of your biography.

William Robinson: I went to Cambridge University and studied art history. My speciality tended to be Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque art. I quite liked the academic side; I didn't think it was academic enough to go to a museum. At the same time I wanted a little more challenge on the people side than I would get at a museum. So I applied to most auction houses and Christie's gave me the most favorable reply. In my interview before I took the post, I was asked which department I would like to work for. I said, "There are two areas I don't want to work in, one is the Islamic department for personal reasons. My father is specialized in Islamic art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Unfortunately, Christie's didn't see things my way, so a few weeks later I found myself in the Islamic Department, at a time when they were making lots of other people redundant. I was not given a lot of choice. That was early 1982. I was asked, "Will you try Islamic?" As all my contemporaries were being made redundant, I replied, "OK, I'll try it." I got to really enjoy it; I have been there for 13 years.

William Robinson of Christie's

ORR: A couple of years ago, under the impact of a continued recession, Christie's decided to close down the rug department. What happened during that time?

William Robinson: They wanted to reduce the personnel within the Islamic and carpet department. They told me that they thought it was too big a job for me single-handedly to do; therefore, they suggested a merger of carpets and furniture. At that stage, it would have been very bad news for the carpet market if the carpet department actually officially closed. They asked what I intended to do to improve matters from their point of view if they were to leave the department open. They gave me a financial target, and I made it quite easily. The department de facto never actually closed, and I don't think they intended to close it.

ORR: But the department at the New York branch closed.

William Robinson: They reduced the number of auctions and they put the department on a back burner, but the department still existed although it wasn't as active as it was before. The hiring of Jim Ffrench completely changed the picture. He is now having as many sales as they had before, putting Christie's back into its previous position or better in the New York market. There was a deep abyss in the fortunes of the carpet market but I think, I know, Jim now enjoys the full confidence of the management.

ORR: The management must have been very pleased at your achievements because you have been appointed director of Christie's. When did this happen?

William Robinson: Nearly two years ago. They said they were pleased. I was delighted to be appointed to the board, obviously.

ORR: Let us come to the present event, TRESORS at Singapore. What is your impression? What have you heard about it?

William Robinson: It's a very big exhibition, lots of people, and it's very international. Some of it is of very, very good quality, especially modern paintings, but there are some things in all fields which are neither important nor early, or are even possibly copies. The fair would benefit from some sort of vetting committee. There should be some control on what is shown here, so TRESORS could have the same status as the large antique fairs in Paris, in London, or in New York.

ORR: In the briefing yesterday, the organizers said a vetting procedure will be introduced next year. Where is the focus of Christie's in the Far East? Is it HongKong, Taiwan, or Japan?

William Robinson: Christie's managing director for the Far East is Mr. Phillip Ong, based in Singapore; our major sales are held in Hong Kong. There was the first sale in Singapore earlier this year of relatively recent art of interest to this particular area. People here do not have access to any great museums, any great collections. Regarding antique rugs and textiles, there is a tendency to exaggerate the importance of some of the middle range of the market. What I find encouraging is that Singapore has an active rug collecting society which meets regularly. Though it is a relatively fledgling society, there is lot of enthusiasm there, and a lot of will to learn.

ORR: Fledging should not be too difficult if, from the European point of view, the top tax rate is only 27 percent. In Hong Kong, by the way, the figure is 15 percent and the import sales tax is at three percent.

William Robinson: It appears the best pieces owned by the members of that society have been purchased outside the Far East. I had the pleasure of meeting a group of the collectors; I had been invited to one of the meetings. Some of the knowledge is quite of an early stage. I saw some very nice Caucasian rugs and a beautiful Baluch rug. I saw representative Turkoman and Persian pieces. Certainly the areas of concentration within that group of people are the same areas traditionally of interest to the collectors' markets within Europe and America.

ORR: How do you see the status of the antique rug market at the present time in the West, since the recession in Europe seems to be over?

William Robinson: Our last sale was extremely successful, the most successful Christie's has ever had in London. Eighty-eight percent sold by value and approximately 65 percent by pieces. The market demonstrates quite clearly that for some of the best pieces there was very strong competition, very high prices. The Vaq Vaq fragment sold for a hammer price of £21,000, the damaged vase type technique sold for £50,000, both indications that the market in certain areas is strong and people aren't afraid to pay. Both pieces remained in Europe.

ORR: Where are the old classical Anatolian rugs going now? Which countries gives the preference to them? Is it Italy, Germany, North America, or is it evenly spread among the wealthy Western societies?

William Robinson: I think that there is a fair spread but there is certainly the greatest interest in Germany. Obviously the key of that is the recent publication of Kirchheim's book, Orient Stars. At that same sale we had the Wind Carpet, a unique, complete, early 16th century Anatolian carpet -- very difficult to estimate for the sale, not in brilliant condition but complete at sides and ends, very littly repiling, and in considerably better condition than the Kirchheim pieces, for example. I thought, if anything was going to tempt the Germans, the Wind Carpet would go to Germany. It didn't seem to do so.

ORR: You mentioned the Kirchheim collection. Does it still make sense for a beginner, even wealthy beginners, to collect, if they never have a chance to compete against the well known collections? What could be a focus of a new collection, for instance, from Anatolia? There have been so many high ranking Anatolian exhibitions of kilims in recent years. Isn't all this a bit demotivating? Won't young collectors be driven to conceal their treasures so that they will not be subject of mockery from gurus and sophisticated magazines?

William Robinson: I think, if a collector comes into the market, the most short-sighted thing is to collect what has been most avidly collected over the last 10 years. It means that those rugs, compared to most other fields, have gone up enormously in interest and in value over the last 10 years, more probably through dealers than at auction. If you are going into a field the cause of that interest is likely that most have a lesser chance that new things are going to appear in that field. To say, just because D'Unger, D'Oglio, Kirchheim, and Alexander, have formed great collections, what hope is there for a new person doesn't make sense to me. Kirchheim could have said that about D'Unger, who has not bought much in the time when Kirchheim has been collecting. D'Unger could have said it about Kühnel. Each collection, each generation of collectors will find a new area, a new speciality, or, perhaps, combined bits of the earlier specialities. It's partly a fingerprint of the individual, it is partly a fingerprint of the current times. Look for instance on the collectability, or lack thereof, of 18th century Ghiordes and Ladik rugs., now compared to 40 years ago. Now you could form really quite a good collection of 19th century Turkish village rugs, at little cost, compared to the cost of the earlier ones.

ORR: Is there an interest in Turkoman rugs outside Germany?

William Robinson: Germany and America appear to be the concentration points of such interest. The native British market is not particularly strong. Everyone likes a good example of a Tekke carpet. That is as much for the decorative side as it is for the collecting side. I think there is still hope for collectors in that area because there is still a number of small Turkoman rugs which appear, which had been used as bedside mats, a number still buried in the system, and it is difficult to predict when they'll come up.

ORR: Do good pieces come from Azerbaijan via Turkey or directly to the auction market in London?

William Robinson: I haven't encountered any good pieces that I have been aware have come from Azerbaijan. There are large numbers of 1900 pink and black Karabaghs, which are not interesting to a collector.

ORR: What advice do you give collectors in their early stage? Would you try to prevent them from making mistakes and, if so, what strategy should she or he pursue?

William Robinson: That totally depends on the individual concerns and some people almost take pleasure in the occasional mistake. If a new collector comes to me, then, yes, I will try and guide as far as I can. I try not to push him in a particular direction because a collection has to show the individual's taste. If he makes a selection, I will then advise him on those pieces. If he goes to our sales ready to bid for eight pieces and is interested in ending up with three of them, I will then push him towards three of them. I hope I have understood his reasons for collecting, his aims for the collection, because I am then in a better position to advise him.

ORR: Would you like to tell the reader something about what you think could be a trend in future collecting of rugs?

William Robinson: Predicting the future is always tricky. I think, new fields will appear, whether it's the taste of an individual collector or whether it is, sometimes, the taste of a dealer. The study of rugs will develop and that will support and develop new fields or new distinctions.

ORR: I doubt that there are new fields which haven't been perceived already. Of course, presently there are the Kaitag embroideries, but it remains to be seen how long the interest in them will last. Others, as the Gabbeh, are more a commercial object than one for many serious collectors. The Shahsavan flatweaves are still popular, mainly for their small functional pieces like bags and mafrash fronts.

William Robinson: I think Shahsavan is a very good illustration of what we have been discussing, because that is an area where people knew the word Shahsavan and were aware of the Shahsavan tribes. A few weavings, but not that many, were attributed to them. Just as with the early Turkish kilims, some existed on the market, But they had not been fully recognized. However the market develops, there will be new areas and that's it what I mean by a field. Tastes will change and some things will be perceived as being more collectible than Kaitag embroideries or kilim fragments. Some of them will be of shorter term, the Kaitag in particular because it is a very small field. Some, like the early Turkish carpets, are much longer term; they will still retain their place in any serious collection. I think that the so-called serious collector will perceive something else to be more important in 20 years time.

ORR: Thank you very much for this talk in a noisy corner of TRESORS'94.